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New Method of Charging Electric Cars Could Bring Savings

A new study by a team of researchers at Carnegie Mellon University suggests that electric car owners can cut costs if they forfeit control over when to charge their vehicles. The study found that allowing the power grid to control charging is more beneficial than charging the vehicles during peak electricity times.

“The idea is that if you just plug in an electric vehicle now when you get home from work, you’re asking the electricity grid to provide you with a maximum charging rate until that battery is full and then the vehicle just sits there until you’re ready to use it again,” said Jeremy Michalek, researcher and associate professor of mechanical engineering. The most cost-effective way to do it, Michalek said, is to “smooth out the demand for charging overnight while you’re not using the vehicle.” That way, the grid operator will have the option to use less expensive power generation options.